Burrillville: Lawmakers To Be Updated On Eleanor Slater Hospital

BURRILLVILLE, RI — Rhode Island residents concerned about the future of the Eleanor Slater Hospital are invited to watch an oversight hearing that will be streamed live from the State House in Providence.

The House Committee on Oversight will meet Thursday, April 1 at 4 p.m. to hear about the current status of the troubled state hospital. Lawmakers expect an update on admission and discharge practices as well as the latest news about compliance with federal and medical standards, according to a media release.

The State House remains closed to the public but the meeting will be live streamed at http://ritv.devosvideo.com/show?video=cd679c40105a.

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Lawmaker concern followed news that hospital administrators had stopped all medical admissions to Eleanor Slater in February of 2020. Since then, an unknown number of patients have been discharged. The hospital in September of 2019 stopped billing for Medicaid reimbursements and as a result lost tens of millions of dollars. Things blew up when the facility’s former medical director accused administrators of trying to close the hospital under false pretenses. Administrators have denied any wrongdoing and say the goal is to place patients in the least-restrictive appropriate setting.

Meanwhile, Gov. Dan McKee hopes to build a new $65 million long-term care facility at the ESH Zambarano campus in Burrillville. It’s part of a massive overhaul of the state hospital system that could result in the loss of 100 jobs. The plan would shut down the hospital’s Aldolf Meyer and Regan units and create a new Institute for Mental Disease on the Cranston campus.

The long-term acute care hospital serves patients with complex medical and psychological needs.